Display case construction



March 19, 1940. A. VANDERVELD DISPLAY CASE CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 18, 1939 hvefikw \ndewdd MMK March 1940-: A. VANDERVELD 4, 4

DISPLAY CASE CQNSTRUCTIQN Filed Jan. 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 19, 1940 .t-ATENT FFiCE 2,194,104 DISPLAY case CONSTRUCTION Anthony Vanderveld, Grand Rapids, Mich, assignor to Grand Rapids Store Equipment Company, Grand Rapids, Mich, a corporation 0 Michigan Application January 18, 1939, Serial No. 251,537

9 Claims.

This invention relates to show cases, and is directed to a practical and novel means for connecting together the opposite upper corners of the ends of a show case at the front thereof, said show case having a glass top and glass front interposed respectively above and between the ends; and the show case may be provided with the usual sliding doors at the back for entrance thereinto. The vertical ends in practice are of wood, though of course, they might be of other material such as glass with. enclosing wood frames surrounding the glass. At the upper rear corners of the show case the ends are connected together by suitable rigid cross bars which fur- I nish part of the framework for the sliding doors.

But at the upper front corners of the ends where otherwise there would be a danger of outward warping or other undesired spreading of the ends of the show case away from the end edges of the glass top and front, my invention is adapted to be applied for holding the ends of the case in proper position and snugly against the end edges of the top glass and side edges of the front glass, both initially at the erection of the showcase and also if at any later time any further adjustment is needed.

A preferred construction embodying the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a show case viewed from above and in front, and to which my invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of the show case, the glass top being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view at the front corner of one end of the show case, the glass top being removed and showing parts of the structure in section and with other. parts removed for better disclosure of structure;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a front upper corner portion of the show case, illustrating the construction in the first step of the assembly thereof at the erection of the show case.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the mechanism which is installed at the upper side of each end of the show case and near the front thereof.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section through an end of the show case at its front upper corner, the mechanism which is installed at each front upper corner being shown in elevation.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section adjacent but within one front upper corner of the show case, showing an end of the show case and the said mechanism in elevation.

Fig. 8 is a front elevation of one of the front upper corners of the show case, the end of the show case being shown in vertical section, and

Fig. '9 is a similar view illustrating a further step of the assembly of the show case beyond that shown in Fig. 4.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The show case with which my invention is used has a base I, a vertical front 2 of glass, and two spaced apart vertical ends 3, the upper edge portions of which are rabbeted or cut away at the inner portions thereof to leave upwardly extending ribs 4, one at the outer side and upper edge of each of the show case ends and for their entire length. The top glass plate 5 is laid between said ribs 4, extends over the upper edge of the front glass plate 2, and rests at its rear edge portions upon a horizontal rail 6, at its rear edge coming against an upwardly extending rib or rail 1 conheated to or integral with the bar E, said rails connecting the rear upper corners of the ends 3. The doors 8 at the back of the show case may be of any well-known conventional structure and in practice usually are slidably mounted so as to overlap each other and thus may be moved bodily for access to the interior of the show case.

At the upper edge of the front glass plate 2 a fabric strip 9 usually of felt is cemented or otherwise permanently secured the full length of the glass. The vertical edge portions of the glass are preferably received in vertical grooves near the front edges of the ends 3 (Fig. 9) A fiat metal band or tape I0 is laid over the felt strip 9, being of substantially the same width as the felt, and is cemented thereto for the major portion of its length but at each end is free for a distance,-

as shown in Fig. 9. Over the metal band ID a second strip of felt H is placed and cemented or otherwise permanently secured to the band I each end to within a short distance of the front.

end. A rod I4 is mounted for rotation in each of the grooves IS, the rear end portion of the rod extending through a suitable opening in the rail 1, as shown. The rods are slotted at their rear ends as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, for the reception of a screw driver.

In the upper edge of each end 3 at the front portion thereof a recess is mortised ahead of the front end of the rod I4, in which recess a mechanism is mounted, the two mechanisms having the two ends of the metal band I0 connected therewith, and each of said mechanisms having the front end of the adjacent rod I4 connected thereto, said front end of the rod I4 being reduced in diameter and screw-threaded at Ma.

Each of said mechanisms located in a mortised recess includes a flat metal base plate I5 (Fig. 4)

which is secured by screws to the end 3 upon which it is mounted. The rear end of the plate I5 is bent upwardly at right angles and returnbent downwardly as at I6; the two overlapping parts of the metal at I6 having an opening for the free passage of the threaded section Ma of a rod I At.- A triangular shaped lever H, which in effect is a bell crank lever, is pivotally mounted at one corner at I8 on and above each plate I5. The forward end of each of the pivoted levers I? is cut away at its upper side for a depth somewhat greater than the double thickness of metal at I2 of the band I0, and is equipped with an upwardly extending pin I9 so that the end portions I 2 of the metal band I [I may be hooked over the pins, it being understood that openings are made through the parts I2 for such purpose. As shown in Fig. 9, in the assembly of the parts, after the plates I 5 have been secured in place as in Fig. 4, the members I! are then pivotally mounted upon the plates and the band member I!) with the attached felts 9 and I I connected with the pins IS. A bar 26 has its front end reduced in width as at 2! to form a narrow tongue which is pivotally connected at 22 to the member I I, each of said members I! being slotted to receive the reduced tongue 2I. Each of the bars 28 has its rear end portion interiorly bored and threaded so that the threaded ends Ida of the rods Id may be screwed thereinto. Thus the plates I5 may have the hell crank members VI to which the bars 20 have been previously pivotally connected mounted thereon, and then the rods I l connected with the bars 28 and the metal band I8 connected at its ends to the pins I9.

The assembly of the case then proceeds by applying sheet metal members 23, which, as shown in Fig. 2, are of flat metal from which front hooks 24 extend, formed integral with the plate 23 and adapted to embrace the front edge of the upper glass plate 5 when laid over the top of the show case. At its rear end each plate is narrowed in width and bent downwardly and extended as an arm 25 which lies against the base plate 55 and is screw connected thereto as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Each plate 23 is connected to the bell crank member I! beneath by a screw 26 passing downwardly through the plate into the body of the member I1 below.

Each of the rods I4, one mounted at the upper edge portion of each end of the show case, may be rotated by a screw driver connection thereto, in this manner swinging the pivoted lever member I! about the pivotal axis of the screw I8, so as to tend to move the pins I9 outwardly. As the metal band II is of a fixed length, the effect is to draw the front upper corners of the ends of the show case inwardly toward each other until the ribs 4 come snugly against the end edges of the top glass plate 5. If at any time after the initial installation there is any separation beas shown tween the end edges of the top glass plate and the ribs 4 of the ends of the show case, it is very quickly corrected by a simple screw driver operation of either one or both of the rods I4.

With such construction a very practical and simple tie between the upper front corner portions of the vertical ends of a show case is provided and one which can be adjusted and controlled in a simple and practical manner. At the same time the tie which is used is covered and out of sight, being covered by the upper felt -II so as not-to be visible from above, whereby the'show case presents the same appearance as in any case,'it being common to insert a felt strip between the upper edges of vertical plates of glass and the underside of top plates of glass in show cases of substantially all types. By reason of the-screw connection of the parts Ma with the bars 2E an d the bearing of the ends of the rods I 4 against the parts IS, with the tension in the metal band ii), there is provided a binding action between the threads of the parts Ma and the threadedsockets into which they are inserted, which is sufficient to hold the rods Hi from any tendency to unscrew and release the tie between the upper front corner portions of the opposite ends of the show case. The construction is readily manufactured, and easily installed when the show case is erected.

'The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A show case having a bottom, vertical ends, a glass front and a glass top, said ends at their upper edges having upwardly extending projections at their outer portions within which the end edges of said top are received, a metal band located over the upper edge of said glass front and extending at its ends over the upper front corner of each of said ends, and a member secured to each of said ends of the show case at its upper front corner portion to which the ends of said metal band are connected, combined with manually operablemeans for moving said member relative to the end of the show case on which it is mounted to thereby draw the said show case end inwardly toward and against the end edges of said top.

2. A show case having a bottom, vertical ends, a glass front and a glass top, said ends at their upper edges having upwardly extending longitudinal ribs at their outer portions within which the end edges of said top are received, a metal band secured to the upper edge of said front of the show case, having its end portions free, a lever pivotally mounted on each end of the show case at its upper edge, to which levers the ends of said band are connected, and means for independently turning said levers each in a direction to impart a force to the upper front corner of the associated end of the show case to draw it toward the adjacent end of the top and keep said end of the show case from spreading or warping outwardly.

3. A show case having a bottom, vertical ends, a glass front and a glass top, said ends at their upper edges having upwardly extending projections at their outer portions within which the end edges of said top are received, a metal band secured at the upper edge of the glass front but having its end portions free therefrom and at its ends extending over the upper sides of the front corners of the ends of the show case, and manually operable movable means mounted on each end of the show case with which the ends of said band are connected, said means being movable relative to the end of the show case on which it is mounted, to thereby tend to draw the upper front corner portion of said end of the show case inwardly toward the adjacent edges of the top and of the front of said show case.

4. A show case having a bottom, vertical ends,

. the adjacent end edge of the top of said show case, and against the adjacent vertical end edge of said front.

5. In a show case having a bottom, vertical ends, a glass front and a glass top, said ends at their upper edges having upwardly extending projections at their outer portions within which the end edges of said top are received, a metal band secured at its intermediate portion to the glass front at the upper edge thereof, said band extending longitudinally of the front and at its ends beyond the side edges thereof, a member movably mounted on each end of the show case at its upper front portion to which the ends of said band are detachably connected, and means for independently operating each of said movable members to draw the connected portion of an end of the show case inwardly, as and for the purposes specified.

6. In a show case having vertical ends, a vertical glass front and a horizontal glass top, said ends having upwardly extending longitudinal ribs at their upper edges within which the end edges of the glass top are located, said top extending at its front portion over the upper edge of the front of the show case, a metal band secured at its intermediate portion to and over the upper edge of said front of the show case and having free end portions which extend over the upper edges of the ends of said show case adjacent the fronts thereof, bell crank levers pivotally mounted to turn about vertical axes, one on each end of the show case, one end of each of said levers being located underneath a free end of said band, detachable connections between the ends of said band and the adjacent ends of said levers, and manually operable means connected to the other ends of said levers for turning the levers about their pivots, as specified.

7. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 6, each of said ends of the show case at its upper edge and within the upwardly projecting ribs thereon having a longitudinal groove, and said manually operable means including a rod located lengthwise of each groove, each at its rear end being accessible for manual engagement to turn said rod about its longitudinal axis, and connections between the front ends of the rods and the other ends of said levers whereby on turning a rod its connected lever is turned about its pivot, the di' rection of turning of the lever being dependent upon the direction of turning of the rod.

8. In a show case having vertical ends, a vertical glass front and a horizontal glass top, said ends having upwardly extending longitudinal ribs at their upper edges within which the end edges of the glass top are located, and said top extending at its front portion over the upper edge of the front of the show case, a metal band secured atits intermediate portion to and over the upper edge of the front of the show case and having free end portions which extend over the upper edges of the ends of said show case adjacent the front edges thereof, a base plate secured at the upper side of each end near its front edge, a lever pivotally mounted on each base plate to turn about a vertical axis, one end of each of said levers being located underneath a free end of said band, detachable connections between the ends of said band and said ends of' of said levers to independently operate the levers to exert tension upon said band and thereby draw the front upper corner portions of the ends of said show case inwardly against the vertical edges of the front glass plate, and said ribs on the ends of the show case against the end edges of the top glass plate.

9. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 8, each of said base plates at its rear end having an upturned portion with an opening therethrough, and the manually operable means comprising each a rod lying lengthwise of and at the upper edge of each end of the show case, a bar pivotally connected at one end to said other end of each lever, said bar having an interiorly bored and threaded socket at its rear end, and said rods each having a reduced threaded portion extending through the opening of said upturned portion of the adjacent base plate and screwing into said interiorly threaded socket of its associated bar.

ANTHONY VANDERVELD. 

